This invention relates to a device for manufacturing stator cores for small-sized electric generators, for example, automobile generators.
It is generally well known that stator cores for small-sized electric generators such as automobile generators have been previously manufactured by stamping a plurality of magnetic sheets into annular discs, superposing the stamped discs on one another to a predetermined thickness and fixing the resulting stack into a unitary structure through welding or rivetting. However, to stamp the magnetic sheets into annular discs has resulted in both an extremely low coefficient of utilization and poor economy, because those portions stamped out to form the central opening and stamped out to form the exterior of the annular discs of the magnetic sheets are not used for the stator core and are not usable for other purposes. Also, as each of the magnetic sheets is relatively thin, it has been difficult to automatically superpose the stamped annular magnetic discs on one another to predetermined thicknesses and to automatically fix a stack of the superposed annular discs as by welding.
Therefore, upon manufacturing the stator cores as above described, it is desirable to provide methods for attempting to achieve the effective utilization of all of the magnetic material and the automation of the core manufacturing operation. Such manufacturing methods have been alreadily known. According to one such manufacturing method, the longitudinal edges of magnetic strips are suitably notched and the notched magnetic strips are successively wound into circular spirals with the notches directed radially inwardly thereof while the strips are cut into predetermined lengths to form separate magnetic cores. Then the magnetic cores are successively compressed and welded into unitary structures thereby to manufacture automatically stator cores one after another.
There have been already known a device for manufacturing stator cores according to the method as above described. However, this device for manufacturing stator cores has been disadvantageous in that an increase in work efficiency can not be expected and the device itself becomes large-scaled.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved device for automatically manufacturing stator cores by successively subjecting successively and effectively wound magnetic cores to predetermined working operations to thereby increase working efficiency while the device is rendered small-sized.